Canada did the work to top its pool at the world junior men s hockey championship and earn an advantageous quarterfinal matchup with the Czech Republic.However, Canada head coach Andre Tourigny said . . .
Donna Spencer
Canada s Dylan Cozens (22) is stopped by Finland goalie Kari Piiroinen (1) during third period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship action in Edmonton, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson January 01, 2021 - 4:10 PM
Canada did the work to top its pool at the world junior men s hockey championship and earn an advantageous quarterfinal matchup with the Czech Republic.
However, Canada head coach Andre Tourigny said the Czechs finishing fourth in their pool doesn t make them a pushover. We need to remain humble, the coach said Friday.
Saturday s other quarterfinal matchups will see Slovakia face the U.S., Russia take on Germany, and Sweden battle Finland.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Barring things going completely off the rails in the next 48 hours, the 2021 edition of the World Juniors will get underway on Christmas Day.
There will be some slight changes, as is the norm in the COVID-19 world, with Edmonton’s Rogers Place hosting all round-robin games instead of the tournament being split between Alberta’s capital and Red Deer.
Also, there will not be any promotion or relegation this year, which means all 10 teams in this year’s event will be returning to Alberta next winter for the tournament.
When it comes to the talent on display, several countries have benefited from the delayed start of the National Hockey League season as they’ve been able to add players that would more than likely be halfway through their pro campaigns had things been normal.